AbTis Defeats Ajinomoto in U.S. Patent Trial

U.S. biotech firm AbTis emerged victorious in a recent patent dispute against Japanese pharmaceutical giant Ajinomoto, as announced on August 14. The victory came after Ajinomoto filed an Inter Partes Review (IPR) at the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to challenge the validity of AbTis's core ADC platform technology, 'AbClick'.

AbTis's patent, which safeguards the innovative technology, was ultimately maintained by the PTAB, overturning all of Ajinomoto's invalidation claims. The U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board dismissed Ajinomoto's arguments based on violations of the written description requirement, enablement requirement, definiteness under Article 112, lack of novelty under Article 102, and non-obviousness under Article 103 of the U.S. Patent Act.

This decision not only validates AbTis's patent but also recognizes the originality and scope of rights associated with their technology. AbClick, the pivotal innovation, is a site-specific ADC platform technology that ensures consistent drug-to-antibody ratios (DAR) for new drug candidates, a crucial factor in the rapidly growing global pharmaceutical market.

With this win, AbTis now has a robust legal framework to protect its AbClick platform in the United States, the world's largest pharmaceutical market. The victory is expected to stimulate discussions on global technology transfer and new partnerships, as AbTis continues to develop its ADC pipeline and seeks alliances with domestic and foreign pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

CEO Choi Hyung-seok highlighted the significance of the decision, stating that it confirms the validity of the core patent protecting AbTis's AbClick platform and indicates their commitment to expanding global partnerships while continuously developing new ADC drugs.